Potomac Marble Sculpture
$525.00
Notes specific to this specimen: You won’t find this on the market anywhere! Why? Because we are the only people who excavate and sculpt this beautiful and unusual historic material. Also called Capitol Marble, this Triassic conglomerate is featured as the columns in the US Capitol National Statuary Hall rotunda. They hold up the main Capitol Dome. Interestingly, the location of the quarry where this material was mined was lost for 200 years. But the old quarry site was finally found a few years ago. We visited the site which is along the C & O canal (near milepost 38) in 2024. It hosts the exact same rock we collect for carving at Point of Rocks, some 12 miles upstream where this piece is from. This freeform was sculpted by Jon in 2022 and has a flat bottom for easy display. It features a highly polished partial helix on the front and a contrasting natural back, showing how the rock is found in its rough state.
HOW IT FORMED
Paleozoic mountains that were being uplifted during the Triassic Period as North America and Africa were colliding. About 205 million years ago these rivers carried broken pieces of dolomite into a basin where they were buried. As the layers accumulated in depth, heat and pressure built up and eventually cemented everything together. Later the layers were pushed up and erosion removed the sediments above, exposing this unique rock in certain locations along the Potomac River.
SIZE: 6″ x 4″ x 6″
AGE: Triassic Period, 205 million years
UNIT: Newark Supergroup
SITE: Point of Rocks, Maryland
DATE: 2021
Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.
Notes specific to this specimen: You won’t find this on the market anywhere! Why? Because we are the only people who excavate and sculpt this beautiful and unusual historic material. Also called Capitol Marble, this Triassic conglomerate is featured as the columns in the US Capitol National Statuary Hall rotunda. They hold up the main Capitol Dome. Interestingly, the location of the quarry where this material was mined was lost for 200 years. But the old quarry site was finally found a few years ago. We visited the site which is along the C & O canal (near milepost 38) in 2024. It hosts the exact same rock we collect for carving at Point of Rocks, some 12 miles upstream where this piece is from. This freeform was sculpted by Jon in 2022 and has a flat bottom for easy display. It features a highly polished partial helix on the front and a contrasting natural back, showing how the rock is found in its rough state.
HOW IT FORMED
Paleozoic mountains that were being uplifted during the Triassic Period as North America and Africa were colliding. About 205 million years ago these rivers carried broken pieces of dolomite into a basin where they were buried. As the layers accumulated in depth, heat and pressure built up and eventually cemented everything together. Later the layers were pushed up and erosion removed the sediments above, exposing this unique rock in certain locations along the Potomac River.
SIZE: 6″ x 4″ x 6″
AGE: Triassic Period, 205 million years
UNIT: Newark Supergroup
SITE: Point of Rocks, Maryland
DATE: 2021
Documentation: This authentic fossil specimen comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and Origin.
Additional information
| Weight | 4 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6 × 4 × 6 in |
| Name / Species | Mercenaria permagna |
| Age | Triassic Period, 205 million years |
| Unit | Newark Supergroup |
| Site | Point of Rocks, Maryland |
| Date | 2021 |
